Gerlachovský štít
Gerlachovský štít (ⓘ, translated into English as Gerlachov Peak, German: Gerlsdorfer Spitze, Hungarian: Gerlachfalvi-csúcs), informally referred to as Gerlach, is the highest peak in the High Tatras, in Slovakia, and in the Carpathian Mountains. Its elevation is usually listed at 2654.4 m above mean sea level. The mountain features a vertical rise of approximately 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above the valley floor.
| Gerlachovský štít | |
|---|---|
Gerlachovský štít as seen from Granátová lávka | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,654.4 m (8,709 ft) |
| Prominence | 2,355 m (7,726 ft) |
| Isolation | 509 km (316 mi) |
| Listing | Ultra Country high point |
| Coordinates | 49°09′50.5″N 20°08′02.5″E |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Peak (of the village) of Gerlachov |
| Language of name | Slovak |
| Geography | |
Gerlachovský štít Location in Prešov Region, Slovakia Gerlachovský štít Location in Slovakia | |
| Location | Tatra National Park, Prešov, Slovakia |
| Parent range | High Tatras |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | granite |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1834 by Ján Still |
| Easiest route | Scramble |
Mistaken for an average mountain in the rugged High Tatras range in the more distant past, it has since played a symbolic role in the eyes of the rulers and populations of several Central European nations, to the point that between the 19th and mid-20th century, it had four different names with six name reversals. Due to geopolitical changes, it was successively the highest mountain of the Kingdom of Hungary, and of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia and then Czechoslovakia again within the span of less than three decades of the 20th century.
Gerlachovský štít shares its geology and ecology with the rest of the High Tatras. With the travel restrictions imposed by the Eastern Bloc, the mountain was particularly treasured by Czechs, East Germans, Hungarians, Poles, and Slovaks as a high mountain available for them to climb. Although local authorities have since restricted access to the peak, it continues to attract its share of visitors.